Crawford County, Arkansas
Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,948. The county seat is Van Buren. Crawford County was formed on October 18, 1820, and named for William H. Crawford who was United States Secretary of War in 1815. As a dry county, alcohol sales are generally prohibited, though recent changes to county law provide for exemptions. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 98.54%) is land and (or 1.46%) is water. Major highways * Interstate 40 * Interstate 540 * U.S. Highway 64 * U.S. Highway 71 * Highway 59 * Highway 60 Crawford County is included in an area designated for a planned extension of Interstate 49 into Arkansas. The final project will connect New Orleans, Louisiana to Kansas City, Missouri, a large trucking corridor which is currently not served by an Interstate highway. The proposed highway would utilize portions of Interstate 540 which currently runs north from Van Buren toward the Missouri state line passing through Benton County, home of Wal-Mart. The corridor was listed as the number-one high-priority corridor by transportation officials in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. Adjacent counties *Washington County (north) *Madison County (northeast) *Franklin County (east) *Sebastian County (south) *Le Flore County, Oklahoma (southwest) *Sequoyah County, Oklahoma (west) *Adair County, Oklahoma (northwest) National protected area * Ozark National Forest (part) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 53,247 people, 19,702 households, and 15,150 families residing in the county. The population density was 35/km² (89/mi²). There were 21,315 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.19% White, 0.87% Black or African American, 2.01% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. 3.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 19,702 households out of which 37.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 20.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county the population was spread out with 28.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,871, and the median income for a family was $36,741. Males had a median income of $29,581 versus $20,352 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,015. About 10.90% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over. Controversy Thousands of self-claimed "Western Band of Cherokee" (or Arkansas Cherokees) fought for state and federal recognition as a political entity of Native Americans. Crawford County was historically part of the Cherokee Nation, which lost its tribal sovereignty status as a result of the U.S. Civil war in the 1860s. The Cherokee Nation was subsequently relocated to the west in the present-day state of Oklahoma. Cities and towns Unincorporated communities *Dora Townships http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/DC10_GUBlkMap/cousub/dc10blk_st05_cousub.html#C * Alma (most of Alma) * Bidville * Cedar Creek * Cedarville (Cedarville) * Chester (Chester, small part of Mountainburg) * Cove City * Dean Springs (small part of Alma) * Dora (part of Van Buren) * Dyer (Dyer, small part of Alma) * Jasper * Kibler (most of Kibler) * Lancaster * Lees Creek * Locke * Mountainburg (most of Mountainburg) * Mulberry (most of Mulberry) * Oliver Springs * Porter * Rudy (Rudy, very small part of Alma) * Uniontown * Upper * Van Buren (most of Van Buren, part of Kibler) * Vine Prairie (part of Mulberry) * Whitley * Winfrey See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, Arkansas References External links *Crawford County government's website Category:Established in 1820 Category:Counties of Arkansas Category:Crawford County, Arkansas Category:Fort Smith metropolitan area